1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical devices and, more particularly, to methods of applying the medical device for inducing proper healing of tissues, for example the parietal pericardium tissue, after a cardiac surgery.
2. Description of Related Art
The formation of excessive amounts of fibrotic or scar tissue (fibrosis) is a central issue in medicine. Scar tissue can block arteries, immobilize joints, damage internal organs, and can in some instances generally impede a body's ability to maintain vital functions. Every year, about 1.3 million people are hospitalized due to the damaging effects of fibrosis, yet doctors have few optimal remedies To help them control this dangerous condition. Fibrosis can follow surgery in the form of adhesions, keloid tumors or hypertrophic (very severe) scarring. Fibrotic growth can also proliferate and invade the healthy tissue that surrounds it, even after the original injury heals. Too much scar tissue may cause physiological roadblocks that disfigure, cripple or even kill.
One of the most important pathologies in which fibrosis is problematic is cardiac surgery. The number of patients undergoing cardiac surgery has been steadily increasing, and as a consequence, the number of cardiac reoperations has also increased. It has been estimated that one out of every five patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery will require a reoperation. Reoperative cardiac surgical procedures can be associated with an even significantly greater complication rate than that of the initial procedure. For example, the post-operative complication rate following a reoperative coronary artery bypass procedure can be double. As a consequence, cardiac reoperations can introduce increased risks of morbidity and mortality. An important contributory factor for the increased complications with cardiac reoperations is the adhesions which form secondarily from the initial entry into the pericardium. These fibrous adhesions can begin to form immediately following the surgical procedure and can consist of collagen and other extra cellular proteins.
There is a need for improved methods of inducing proper tissue healing, e.g. healing without adhesion, for tissues affected by an open heart surgery.